United States
Arizona Moves to Allow Patrons to Carry Concealed Handguns in Bars
Associated Press
28 June 2009
PHOENIX -- There was a time in the Wild West that cowboys had to check their guns before they could pull up a bar stool for a drink -- rules that protected against the saloon gunfights that came to define the frontier era in places like Arizona. But a bill moving through the Arizona Legislature has some bar owners fearful that the state is turning back the clock to the Old West. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Firearm-loving Kentucky Pastor Urges Flock to Wear Handguns to Church
Associated Press
27 June 2009
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- For one day, at least, it was OK to pack heat in church. More than 200 people answered gun-toting Pastor Ken Pagano's call to celebrate the Second Amendment at New Bethel Church in Louisville on Saturday. There was just one rule for the several dozen who brought their guns along: No bullets. "We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Beyond Farce in US State Politics: Guns OK in Bars, But No Drinking!
New York Times, Editorial
26 June 2009
Beyond farce in statehouse politics -- think New York, Illinois and South Carolina -- there can be danger. Think Tennessee, where the Legislature just overrode the governor's veto and rescinded a law barring patrons from carrying handguns in bars and restaurants. Once again, politicians caved to the gun lobby's "right to carry" agenda which insists that there is no place -- campuses, workplaces, churches -- that should be off limits... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Carrying Hidden Handgun Approved in Arizona Eateries Serving Booze
Associated Press
23 June 2009
PHOENIX -- The Arizona Senate has reversed itself and voted to allow people with concealed-carry permits to take handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol. The Senate approved the bill on an 18-10 vote Tuesday, one day after it defeated the measure on a 14-14 tie when one supporter was absent. The bill now goes to the House. Arizona law now generally bans possession of firearms in bars and restaurants selling alcohol.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Moves to Allow Hidden Handguns, Shooting in Parade Zones
Times-Picayune (Louisiana)
17 June 2009
BATON ROUGE -- Legislation urging the New Orleans City Council to enact a citywide ban on assault weapons was shot down by a Senate committee Tuesday. The Judiciary B Committee failed to muster a single vote for House Concurrent Resolution 150 by Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, killing it unanimously. The nonbinding measure is an expression of the feelings of the Legislature on an issue and would have called on council members,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Secessionist, 'Fringe Theory' State Gun Laws Challenge US Federalism
New York Times
15 June 2009
Cities and counties across Tennessee are preparing this week to deal with the fallout from a raft of pro-gun bills recently signed into law in the state, where Republicans are flexing their new-found strength in the legislature. Among the new laws is one that would allow people who have gun permits to carry guns in all public parks in the state. Another would exempt from federal regulation guns and ammunition made in Tennessee and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Permits, Gun Sales Rise at Record Clip in Virginia
Virginian-Pilot (Virginia)
8 June 2009
Erin King squeezed into a packed classroom at Bob's Gun Shop with a new pistol and a mission. She sat through two hours of instruction and fired off several dozen rounds at the range with her Guardian .32-caliber. The 26-year-old from Suffolk bought her first gun a few weeks ago and plans to get a concealed-carry permit next month. She'll slip her pistol into a hidden holster and protect herself commuting to her part-time... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Armed Pretoria Gun Dealer Shot Dead in 'Hit' On His Way to Work
Cape Argus (Capetown)
5 June 2009
A Pretoria arms dealer, who also worked as a police reservist, has been gunned down in a suspected hit close to his home. Ivan Monsieur, 56, a police reservist at the Midrand police station, was shot dead this week while en route to his office in Lyttelton. Monsieur was off-duty when he was shot. He was the chief executive of New Generation Ammunition (NGA), an ammunition manufacturing and weapons importing and exporting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee Joins 37 Other US States, Encourages Carrying Guns in Bars
Associated Press
4 June 2009
NASHVILLE -- Tennessee House members voted on Wednesday to override the governor's veto of a bill to allow handguns to be carried in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The House voted 69-27 against the veto. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter today. The final version of the bill previously passed the House on a 66-23 vote. All but one of the new votes for or against the measure came from lawmakers who were... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia
Serbians Own 1.1 Million Private Guns, Register 15,000 More Each Year
Glas Javnosti (Belgrade)
4 June 2009
BELGRADE -- In Serbia there are approximately 1,150,000 firearms, registered to the name of around 800,000 citizens and companies. According to the records of the Serbian Ministry of Interior, there are around 510,000 pistols and revolvers, while the rest are hunting rifles and small arms. Considering the number of citizens, legal entities and entrepreneurs, Belgrade has the most registered weapons. Discharged... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Camping? Don't Forget to Bring Your Gun: Obama Relaxes Park Gun Law
Miami Herald, Column
30 May 2009
Like many other Americans, every time I take my family to a national park I find myself thinking: Wow! If I only had a gun ... Now, thanks to Congress and President Obama, all of us will soon be able to carry loaded firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges. Even concealed weapons will be allowed, for those who have state permits. It's about time. The one element that's been missing from the outdoor experience in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Decision Raises Fear of Gun Violence in US National Parks
New York Times
28 May 2009
The call came in shortly after midnight at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park in central California. Numerous shots had been fired in the park's popular Sentinel campground, which was packed at the time with campers. When park rangers arrived, they found terrified campers who told them a man, presumably frightened by a black bear foraging for table scraps, emerged from his tent firing into the dark. Rangers collected nine bullet... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Louisiana Kills Bill to Allow Hidden Handguns on College Campuses
Times-Picayune (Louisiana)
28 May 2009
BATON ROUGE -- The House voted 86-18 today to kill a bill that would have allowed qualified students 21 and older and faculty members to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. House Bill 27 by Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, was amended to prohibit carrying the concealed weapons at sporting events by barring them at arenas, football stadiums and other sports venues. Wooton said he amended the bill because of a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Governor Gives $6m Handgun Fund Back to 'Paranoid Gun Lobby'
Orlando Sentinel (Florida), Column
28 May 2009
Even in this time of budgetary sacrifice, Gov. Charlie Crist understands certain priorities. The biggest one is not to offend the NRA when running for the U.S. Senate. And so with a stroke of his veto pen, Charlie gave the very grateful gun lobby the $6 million it so loudly demanded. The Legislature provided Charlie with this golden opportunity. Lawmakers played the anti-gun saps so he could play the pro-gun hero.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colleges Trample Rights, Say Supporters of Hidden Handguns in School
Associated Press
28 May 2009
PITTSBURGH -- Colleges nationwide have unconstitutionally barred students from handing out literature, protesting and gathering in support of the right to carry weapons on campus, students and an advocacy group say. Christine Brashier, a freshman at the Community College of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, said a dean recently told her she had to stop distributing fliers for the group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Allowing Guns in US National Parks 'Solves Problem that Didn't Exist'
Denver Post (Colorado), Editorial
28 May 2009
A sorry set of circumstances has led to allowing guns in our national parks and wildlife refuges, and our country is the poorer for it. Senate Republicans cynically hijacked the credit card reform legislation that Democrats had championed and attached a rider that would allow holders of concealed-carry permits to tote their firearms within national parks in states that allow such permits. The new law effectively opens all... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Working Out the Details of New Law to Allow Guns in US National Parks
New York Times
26 May 2009
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colorado -- Guns tend to bring out a black-or-white, yes-or-no stridency in American policy debate. Guns are bad. Guns are good. Guns are dangerous. Guns keep you safe. The National Parks evoke equally deep emotional feelings -- about place. Setting aside specific spots for the celebration of nature, or history, or spirituality, is an old tradition -- as old as the Second Amendment. Now those... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
When Will Elected US Officials 'Find the Spine to Stand Up to the NRA'?
Miami Herald, Editorial
26 May 2009
A provision that has absolutely nothing to do with credit cards has sailed through the conference committee that reconciled the House and Senate versions of credit industry reforms. The provision would allow visitors to carry loaded weapons in national parks. This is more proof, if it were needed, that the National Rifle Association holds sway in Congress over law-enforcement groups and everyone else who supports sensible gun-control measures.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Its 'Infinite Cowardice,' US Congress Allows Guns in National Parks
Boston Globe, Column
26 May 2009
In its infinite cowardice, Congress is extending the same national park protections to guns as it does wildlife. Proving that some corners of Obamaworld are just as insane as the Bush administration, Congress handed Obama a credit card reform bill last week where the biggest "Yahoo!" came not from debt-ridden consumers but the National Rifle Association. After months of trying, gun advocates finally managed to slap an amendment... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Will Probably Pass More Pro-Gun Bills Than Bush, Says Democrat
Associated Press
24 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Frustrated liberals are asking why a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House can't manage to close the Guantanamo prison or keep new gun-rights laws from passing. After all, President Barack Obama pledged to shut down the military detention center on Cuba for suspected terrorists. And Democratic control of the government would suggest that any gun legislation leads to tighter controls on weapons, not expanded... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ban on Loaded Guns in US National Parks Overturned By 'Back Door' Bill
New York Times
21 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Congress on Wednesday sent President Obama a set of new rules governing credit card companies, completing a trio of consumer-related measures that Democrats had raced to get signed into law by Memorial Day. But the credit card victory came at a cost that angered some backers of the legislation: approval of an unrelated provision allowing visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to carry loaded weapons if they... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United States
US Contractors Held in Afghanistan After Fatal Shooting, Gun Law Breach
Associated Press
20 May 2009
KABUL -- Four U.S. contractors for the company formerly known as Blackwater were not authorized to carry weapons when they were involved in a deadly shooting in Afghanistan this month, the U.S. military said Tuesday. The men -- accused of opening fire on a vehicle in the capital on May 5 -- have charged that their employer, now called Xe, issued them guns in breech of the company's contract with the military. One Afghan was killed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Stinging Defeat for Gun-control' as US Allows Guns in National Parks
Associated Press
20 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- In a stinging defeat for gun-control advocates, Congress has voted to allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. The House approved the measure, 279-147, on Wednesday, one day after the Senate acted. A total of 105 Democrats in the House joined 174 Republicans in supporting the gun measure, which essentially restores a Bush administration policy that briefly allowed loaded guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Democrats Join Republicans, Encourage Hidden Handguns in US Parks
New York Times
20 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Advocates of gun rights are poised to win a Congressional victory that eluded them under a Republican president. To the frustration and discouragement of many Democrats, House and Senate lawmakers and aides say it now appears likely that President Obama will this week sign into law a provision allowing visitors to national parks and refuges to carry loaded and concealed weapons. The White House is lukewarm... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Credit Card Bill 'Hijacked' to Allow Hidden Handguns in US National Parks
New York Times
20 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- Congress on Wednesday sent President Obama a set of new rules governing credit card companies, completing a trio of consumer-related measures that Democrats had raced to get signed into law by Memorial Day. But the credit card victory came at a cost that angered some backers of the legislation: approval of an unrelated provision allowing visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to carry loaded weapons if they... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado Governor Vetoes Bill to Relax Hidden Handgun Licensing
Denver Post (Colorado), Editorial
20 May 2009
Gov. Bill Ritter acted wisely in vetoing a bill that would have reopened a loophole in a Colorado law that allows some gun purchases without a background check. It's disheartening and puzzling the measure got as far as it did before Ritter killed it Friday with a veto. House Bill 1180 would have allowed those who have concealed-carry gun permits to skip a routine background check before buying a firearm at a gun show or... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Democrats' Transformation No More Evident Than in Gun Control
Politico / Capital News (Washington DC)
19 May 2009
Last week, 27 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to pass an amendment that allows concealed weapons in national parks. This week, the Senate could take the first step toward overturning a gun control bill passed by their own Democratic brethren more than a decade ago. After a soul-searching exile, the Democratic Party that regained control of both Congress and the White House in the past two election cycles is proving... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Budget Raid on Florida's Hidden Handgun Licensing Fund Stirs Fight
Miami Herald
19 May 2009
TALLAHASSEE -- As more people in Florida seek concealed weapons permits, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson wants Gov. Charlie Crist to veto a $6 million raid on a fund that pays for the program. Bronson's request presents a timely opportunity for Crist to score political points with gun owners just as he's embarking on a race for the U.S. Senate. In a letter to Crist, Bronson cited "unprecedented growth" in applications... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica
Gun Control Debate a 'Consistent Political Loser': US Liberals Have Lost
Wall Street Journal, Editorial
18 May 2009
Amid so much other news, a Senate vote last week to allow loaded guns in national parks slipped under the media radar. The vote shows how the political cause of gun control is as dead as a mounted moose. By 67-29, the Senate passed Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn's amendment to let law-abiding visitors carry legal firearms into national parks. This overturns a 1983 federal rule requiring that firearms be kept unloaded and in an inaccessible... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Governor Should Veto Bill to Allow Hidden Handguns in Tennessee Bars
Tennessean, Editorial
15 May 2009
They have handed the gun to you, Governor. And it's loaded. Legislators sent House Bill 0962, which promises to be the defining work of this General Assembly, to your desk on Thursday. The bill would allow any Tennessee handgun permit holder to bring their firearms into any establishment that serves alcohol. Will you allow this? It is not just smoky, adult-only bars that would be taking on this risk -- that would be... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Democrats Join Republicans, Promote More Guns in US National Parks
Philadelphia Daily News, Column
15 May 2009
I have a couple of questions for those two profiles in courage who represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. I'm speaking here of Bob Casey and our on-again, off-again Democrat, Arlen Specter. They were among 27 Senate Democrats who, in a rare kumbaya moment, joined hands with 39 Republicans to back an amendment to permit the carrying of loaded firearms at Independence Hall and other National Parks. The amendment,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Republicans, Democrats Fawn to Obey Gun Lobby's 'Lethal Diktat'
New York Times, Editorial
14 May 2009
The gun lobby and its all-too-willing political accomplices have struck again. The Senate's version of urgently needed legislation to protect credit card users has been saddled with a dangerous and utterly nongermane amendment allowing visitors to openly carry loaded firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges. A disappointing 27 Senate Democrats, whose party once led the fight for gun control, eagerly signed on with 39 Republicans... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Lawmaker Uses Credit Card Bill to Encourage Guns in US National Parks
New York Times, Opinion
14 May 2009
Never underestimate the power and ingenuity of the gun lobby. The latest example of the lobby's strength involves a fight over whether to allow concealed weapons in national parks and refuges. In its waning days, the Bush administration rushed through a regulation to allow just that. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees filed suit... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Easing US Gun Laws May Be One of Few Bipartisan Issues in Congress
National Public Radio (USA) / Morning Edition
14 May 2009
The National Rifle Association's annual meeting kicks off in Phoenix on Thursday -- and its members may have good reason to party. The NRA has been scoring early and often on Capitol Hill despite a new president who has long supported tighter gun laws and in the face of bigger Democratic majorities in Congress. Democrats may enjoy a near filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, but when it comes to voting on guns, it's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arizona House Passes Bill to Allow Hidden Handguns in Cars at Work
Arizona Republic
14 May 2009
A bill that would allow people to keep their weapons locked inside their car in a parking garage or other parking area passed the Arizona House on Wednesday, the eve of the National Rifle Association's convention in Phoenix. House Bill 2474 contains several exemptions, such as for nuclear-generating stations, businesses that run a gated and controlled parking lot, and facilities that search vehicles and passengers as they enter... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Senate Backs Hidden Handguns in US National Parks, Wildlife Refuges
Associated Press
12 May 2009
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday backed an amendment that would allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sponsored the measure, which he said would protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. The amendment allows firearms in parks and wildlife refuges, as long as they are allowed by federal, state and local law. "If an American citizen has a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Loaded, Hidden Handguns Now OK in Utah Vehicles for 'Anyone Over 18'
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
12 May 2009
Law-abiding Utahns will be able to carry concealed, loaded guns in their cars without a permit as three new gun laws take effect today. Many gun owners were unclear about whether their cars were an extension of their homes as far as carrying guns was concerned, and HB357 was drafted to help clarify the law, said Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council. "No one is going to notice the changes," he said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shooters, Heller Litigant Challenge California Hidden Handgun Discretion
CBS News / Political Hot Sheet, Blog
6 May 2009
In theory, law-abiding Californians who undergo a criminal background check and pass a government training course can receive a permit from their local sheriff to carry a concealed firearm. But in practice, many California counties flatly deny permits to residents who meet the requirements for a concealed carry permit -- a situation that a lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday hopes to remedy. The lawsuit... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US School Shootings: Guns on Campus Are the Problem, Not the Solution
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
27 April 2009
Three college professors who favor forcing Texas colleges to accept loaded, concealed handguns on campus wrote on Viewpoints last week, saying they "want to reduce the odds of a Virginia Tech massacre happening on a Texas college campus." I was shot at Virginia Tech. With respect, I think those professors are clueless about what it's like to be in the middle of such a situation. I think putting weapons on Texas campuses is a crazy,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ignore Gun Memo, 'Take Down' Armed Men, Says Milwaukee Police Chief
WISN News (Wisconsin) / AP
24 April 2009
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee's police chief said he'll go on telling his officers to take down anyone with a firearm despite Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's finding that people can carry guns openly if they do it peacefully. Chief Ed Flynn said officers can't assume people are carrying guns legally in a city that has seen nearly 200 homicides in the past two years. He said that means officers seeing anybody carrying a gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Evidence Shows That Hidden Handguns Make Schools, Colleges Safer
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Opinion
23 April 2009
Mass public shootings are a horrific feature of modern life. Many of the bloodiest examples of this scourge have occurred on college campuses. As professors, we are particularly sensitive to this danger. Despite this -- no, because of this -- we support a bill currently pending in the Texas Legislature that would permit the concealed carrying of firearms on college and university campuses in the state by holders of concealed-handgun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Court Makes First US Ruling to Allow Wide Gun Law Challenge
San Francisco Chronicle
21 April 2009
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court ruled Monday that private citizens can challenge state and local gun laws by invoking the constitutional right to bear arms -- the first such ruling in the nation -- but upheld a ban on firearms at gun shows at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco followed last year's landmark Supreme Court decision that the Constitution's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Apocalypse Fear Fuels Record Utah Gun Sales, Hidden Handgun Permits
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
18 April 2009
There's been a record-breaking run on concealed weapons permits in the state in what gun store owners and activists say is fueled by political and economic uncertainty. Utah issued 15,389 concealed weapons permits in the first three months of the year, shattering the previous record of 11,996, which was set in the second quarter of 2008. Traditionally, slightly more permits have gone out of state than to Utah residents.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Won't Challenge Decision to Prohibit Hidden Handguns in Parks
Associated Press
17 April 2009
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration said Friday it will not appeal a federal court ruling that prohibits carrying loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. Instead, the Interior Department said it will conduct a full environmental review of an earlier policy that allowed concealed, loaded guns in parks and refuges. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly struck down the gun policy last month. She called... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama Should Reject Bush's Last-gasp Rule to Allow Guns in US Parks
Washington Post, Editorial
16 April 2009
The Interior Department has until Monday to decide whether to defend or discard a federal rule passed late in the Bush administration to allow visitors to national parks and refuges to carry loaded and concealed weapons. A federal judge found last month that the Bush administration had acted rashly in its zeal to enact the gun provision and temporarily put the rule on hold. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar should permanently reject the initiative.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Columbine Gun Control Momentum 'Long Since Petered Out' in America
Time (USA)
15 April 2009
Monday April 20 marks 10 years since Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold permanently etched the words Columbine High School into this nation's collective memory. What happened that day in 1999 also seemed to wake America up to the reality that it had become a nation of gun owners -- and too often a nation of shooters. The carnage in Littleton, Colorado -- 12 classmates and a teacher before the killers offed themselves -- and the ease... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Campaign 'Foments Paranoia,' Drives Rush in Gun Sales
Guardian (UK)
13 April 2009
At the Guns and Ammo Warehouse they are reluctant to admit Barack Obama is right about very much. But customers enjoy the thought that his controversial campaign comment, that "bitter" small-town Americans are clinging to their guns, has proved more true than the president could have imagined. Firearms sales have surged in the six months since Obama's election as millions of Americans have gone on a buying spree that has stripped... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Texas Bills Forbid Universities from Banning Hidden Handguns
Houston Chronicle (Texas)
10 April 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- Legislation allowing state university students and employees to carry their concealed handguns on campus appears to have enough pledged support from lawmakers to pass the full Texas House. The bill would prohibit public universities across Texas from creating rules that forbid concealed handgun license holders from carrying their pistols into a classroom, but it would allow private institutions to exempt themselves.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
ABC News 20/20 (USA) Runs 5-part Special on Gun Use, Gun Control
ABC News (USA), TV Promo
9 April 2009
David Muir has firearms in his cross hairs tomorrow in ABC's "If Only I Had a Gun." Despite the rash of high-profile shootings in recent years, a group of youths, given the opportunity to play with a gun, did it. That's one finding in a year-long investigation by ABC News' David Muir and Diane Sawyer in a special report, "If Only I Had a Gun," airing Friday at 10 p.m. For the piece, Muir set up a test in which... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pittsburgh Cop Killer Carried Legal Hidden Handgun Permit, Says Friend
Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh)
7 April 2009
Federal agents yesterday sought records from a Wilkinsburg gun dealership where Richard Poplawski, the accused killer of three Pittsburgh police officers, is believed to have purchased guns. A man who has described himself as the suspect's best friend told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday that Mr. Poplawski owned four guns and obtained them all legally at Braverman Arms Co., on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg, passing the required... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Bill for Even Slacker Gun Laws 'Has No Place in Montana'
Helena Independent Record (Montana), Editorial
7 April 2009
There are a number of broad and sweeping philosophical bills before the Legislature this year. Some attempt to score incremental wins in the larger spectrum of controversial issues like abortion, health care and gun rights. Take, for example, House Bill 228. Some major amendments were made last week to HB 228 - the "gun bill" -- that move this highly contentious bill from a one-sided extreme closer to middle ground.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Last, Biggest' US Gun Show Pulls 35,000: Many Buying in Fear of Obama
Fox News (USA)
5 April 2009
TULSA, Oklahoma -- An estimated 35,000 people came out to Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show to visit more than 4,000 gun booths. Gun owners and exhibitors say there's a good reason why. "Our president Obama is not a pro-gun person and neither is his cabinet," said Joe Wanenmacher, owner of the show. "I think a lot of people are worried about possible new gun laws." That includes people like Mike Dawson, who traveled... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Permitting Hidden Handguns Drives Up Crime Rather Than Decreasing It
New York Times, Editorial
3 April 2009
In December, ignoring proper procedure and the risk to public safety, the Bush administration rushed through regulations allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. Fortunately, a federal judge has blocked this last-minute mischief, giving the Obama administration a fresh chance to do the right thing and withdraw the rule. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the United States District Court... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
DC Attorney General Decries Amendment to Scrap US Capital's Gun Law
Associated Press
3 April 2009
WASHINGTON -- The nation's capital would be more vulnerable to a terrorist attack if the District of Columbia's gun laws were weakened, the city's attorney general said Friday. Peter Nickles testified before a House subcommittee examining the potential effect of a gun amendment attached to legislation that would give D.C. its first full vote in Congress. The measure sponsored by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., would repeal the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Wins a Round: Hidden Handguns OK in US National Parks
Globe & Mail (Toronto)
2 April 2009
Congress gave final approval Wednesday to legislation that will limit abusive practices by credit-card companies. That bill contains an astonishing add-on. It will permit people visiting national parks to carry loaded, concealed weapons. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and other elements of the gun lobby have been pushing for years for the right of gun owners to visit the Grand Canyon loaded for bear. Republicans and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texan Lawmakers Move Slew of Bills to Encourage Hidden Handgun Use
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
1 April 2009
It started a few weeks ago, with a bill to allow Texans to bring their guns to work, though locked in their vehicles. It was approved in the Senate, with little debate. Then came a measure to let pistol-packers off the hook if they went into a bar and proper signs prohibiting guns weren't posted. It was approved unanimously in a Senate committee. On Monday, a House committee heard testimony about allowing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guatemala
Gun Limit, Licence, Background Check in New Guatemala Firearm Law
Prensa Latina (Havana)
1 April 2009
GUATEMALA -- After several months of debate, the Guatemalan Congress approved the Weapon and Ammunition Control Law, considered essential to reduce violence. The regulation reduces to one the four licenses previously granted to each citizen to buy armaments, and they are able now to buy three weapons instead of 12, as previously established. It also stipulated several requirements before granting the permit, including a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Ex-Cop Pulled Pistol, Killed Neighbour in Rhode Island Tennis Ball Rage
Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
1 April 2009
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island -- Superior Court jury on Wednesday, after deliberating 5½ hours, convicted Nicholas Gianquitti, of Cranston, of second-degree murder for the shooting of his next-door neighbor during an argument over a stray tennis ball last year. In reaching the verdict, the jury found that Gianquitti's intent to kill James A. Pagano, 44, existed "momentarily or fleetingly," and that he used a firearm during a crime of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Despite Gun Lobby Push, 18 US States Reject 'Arm the Students' Laws
Associated Press
30 March 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- John Woods sometimes sits in a classroom at the University of Texas and wonders what would happen if somebody walked in and started shooting. In April 2007, he was a student at Virginia Tech when his girlfriend and several other people he knew there were gunned down in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Thirty-two people died, plus the gunman. There were times when Woods thought that maybe... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaigners Push Hidden Handguns, 'Guns at Work' Law for Alabama
Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama)
29 March 2009
Alabama employers could one day find that their employees are bringing more than lunch and briefcases to work each day. They could be bringing a gun, and under a bill moving through the Alabama Legislature there might be very little an employer can do to stop them. Democratic lawmakers in the House and the Senate are sponsoring bills that would prohibit employers from establishing policies or rules that stop gun permit... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Americans 'Afraid and Armed' As Gun Sales Soar in Wake of Obama Win
Free Lance-Star (Virginia)
28 March 2009
President Barack Obama has stimulated at least one part of the economy: gun sales. Fears that he and Democratic congressional leaders will outlaw or restrict guns and ammunition, along with worries about the economy, have helped spur a hefty increase in sales of guns and ammunition. Sturm, Ruger and Co. reported a $48 million backlog in orders as of Dec. 31, and a 42 percent increase in sales in 2008. Smith and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Republicans Linked to Corrupt Cop Fight Revocation of Gun Permits
Los Angeles Times
26 March 2009
Several major GOP power brokers with ties to convicted former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona are about to lose their concealed weapons permits under an order by the new sheriff. Those who have received notices of revocation from Sheriff Sandra Hutchens include Michael Schroeder, chief political and legal advisor to Carona and a former chairman of the state Republican Party; Adam Probolsky, a GOP pollster; and Stephen Mensinger,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
To Curb Domestic Violence in Maryland, Give Guns to Abuse Victims
Washington Post, Editorial
24 March 2009
The Problem: Guns accounted for more than half of the deaths resulting from domestic violence in Maryland from June 2007 to July 2008. The solution, according to some lawmakers: more guns. The Maryland Senate may vote as early as today on an amendment that would make it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain guns. In theory, empowering victims could discourage potential abusers. In practice, adding guns to an already... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Judge Blocks Bush Rule Allowing Hidden Handguns in US Parks
New York Times
20 March 2009
A federal judge yesterday blocked a last-minute rule enacted by President George W. Bush allowing visitors to national parks to carry concealed weapons. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by gun-control advocates and environmental groups. The Justice Department had sought to block the injunction against the controversial rule. The three groups that brought the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama's 'Anti-gun Ideology' Sees US Airline Armed Pilot Policy Defunded
Washington Times, Editorial
17 March 2009
After the September 11 attacks, commercial airline pilots were allowed to carry guns if they completed a federal-safety program. No longer would unarmed pilots be defenseless as remorseless hijackers seized control of aircraft and rammed them into buildings. Now President Obama is quietly ending the federal firearms program, risking public safety on airlines in the name of an anti-gun ideology. The Obama administration... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maryland Bills Approved to Strip Accused Domestic Abusers of Firearms
Washington Post
17 March 2009
The Maryland House of Delegates approved two measures today that would give judges more authority to take firearms from suspects accused of domestic violence. Similar bills had failed in past years but this year the effort received the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D), who campaigned for the proposals in the name of his cousin, who was killed last year by an estranged boyfriend. In a statement,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In 80 Cases Based on US Supreme Court Decision, 'Heller Fires Blanks'
New York Times
17 March 2009
About nine months ago, the Supreme Court breathed new life into the Second Amendment, ruling for the first time that it protects an individual right to own guns. Since then, lower federal courts have decided more than 80 cases interpreting the decision, District of Columbia v. Heller, and it is now possible to make a preliminary assessment of its impact. So far, Heller is firing blanks. The courts have upheld federal laws... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US NRA Agenda Promotes, Glorifies Easy Access to Guns, Assault Rifles
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee), Editorial
15 March 2009
State legislators casually and proudly voted in committees Wednesday to advance two of four pending bills that expand Tennesseans' gun-carry rights -- this time into bars that serve alcohol and state parks. They apparently see no harm in what they're doing, and no connection between the gun culture they are helping reinforce in America and the mass shootings by deranged individuals in Alabama on Tuesday and at a German school on Wednesday.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Court Rejects Case to Permit Hidden Handguns at Atlanta Airport
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
12 March 2009
A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that licensed firearms owners may not carry guns into parts of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. GeorgiaCarry.org, a gun-rights group, and state Rep. Timothy Bearden (R-Villa Rica) challenged the airport's ban on guns. They contended a law enacted last year overrode a longstanding policy prohibiting visitors to the airport from carrying firearms in non-secure areas. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Too Many With Tennessee Hidden Handgun Permits Are Felons, Abusers
Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
12 March 2009
Kiandre Sims was well armed the night he kicked in a back door and sexually assaulted his ex-girlfriend. Carrying an assault rifle and a handgun, Sims forced the woman into a car at gunpoint and took her to his house where, court records show, he told her he "didn't want to hear no." At the time of the 2005 incident, for which Sims was later convicted, he had a permit to carry a handgun. The state of Tennessee renewed his... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Campaign to Encourage Guns in Atlanta Airport Fails in Court
Associated Press
12 March 2009
ATLANTA -- A federal appeals court has dismissed a Georgia gun group's lawsuit seeking to allow firearms in parts of the world's busiest airport. The group GeorgiaCarry.org sued after the city of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport banned guns from even unsecured areas in the terminals. That was a response to a Georgia law passed last summer that allows people with permits to take their guns into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee 'Guns In Bars' Proposal Advances to Full House Vote
Associated Press
11 March 2009
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee handgun permit holders could carry their weapons where alcohol is served under a proposal headed for a full House vote. The House Judiciary Committee advanced on a voice vote the measure to allow handguns at restaurants were alcohol is available until 11 p.m. Permit holders would still be barred from drinking while carrying at all times. Rep. Janis Baird Sontany, a Nashville Democrat... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Panel Approves Gun Control in Advance of Pro-gun Lobbying Effort
Chicago Tribune
11 March 2009
SPRINGFIELD -- Hours before busloads of gun rights advocates are scheduled to descend on the Capitol, a House committee today advanced a series of measures designed to increase gun control in Illinois. Among the restrictions approved by the House Executive Committee include an assault weapons ban and legislation allowing only one gun purchase a month. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley perenially pushes for such gun crackdowns due to continued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Illinois Lawmakers Introduce at Least 55 Gun Control and Pro-gun Bills
Associated Press
11 March 2009
Legislators have introduced at least 55 bills that could change Illinois laws on guns and hunting. Here's a look at a few: Concealed carry: Lets gun owners carry handguns in public. (HB245, HB367, HB462, SB1976) Private sales: Requires individuals to sell or transfer firearms through a licensed gun dealer. (HB48, SB1848) Assault weapons: Bans semiautomatic assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles and accessories. (HB165,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby 'Emboldened' to Encourage Hidden Handguns in Chicago
Chicago Tribune
11 March 2009
SPRINGFIELD -- Emboldened by recent high-profile deadly gun violence across Illinois and a Supreme Court decision striking down a handgun ban, busloads of gun rights backers will descend on the Capitol Wednesday to lobby lawmakers on issues such as letting people carry concealed weapons. Call it the flip side of Mayor Richard Daley's yearly news conference where, flanked by the families of shooting victims, he pushes the idea of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Even the Gun Lobby Can't See Hidden Handguns in Chicago This Year
Chicago Tribune
11 March 2009
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- Not even gun-rights advocates think they can pull the trigger on a "concealed carry" law this year. Excited by an important Supreme Court ruling and new support from law enforcement, thousands of gun owners gathered at the state Capitol Wednesday to rally for a law letting them carry concealed weapons. But their leaders say it will take time to build the support necessary to pass such divisive legislation.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arkansas Gun Dealer Loses Illegal Machine Guns, Grenades, Licence
Associated Press
9 March 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- The father of a doctor accused of stockpiling more than $1 million worth of machine guns, grenade launchers and grenades in and around his home is a known international arms dealer, and he and his son made frequent trips outside the country in the past two years, a federal agent testified Monday. Prosecutors and an agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered no evidence... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maryland Lawmakers Want Fewer Guns, More Guns in Domestic Abuse
Washington Post
7 March 2009
A key legislative panel in Maryland yesterday approved central portions of Gov. Martin O'Malley's agenda for combating domestic violence, two measures that would give judges more authority to confiscate firearms from domestic abuse suspects. At the same time, the House of Delegates' Judiciary Committee approved a separate bill that would make it easier for victims of domestic violence to obtain permits to carry handguns. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Obama in No Rush to Reverse Bush Rule, Ban Guns in National Parks
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
6 March 2009
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has rolled back eleventh-hour Bush administration rules on oil and gas leases, oil-shale development and offshore drilling, but the new White House hasn't budged on one policy: allowing guns in national parks. And, given Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's comments Friday, Obama might not reverse that policy any time soon -- if ever. Salazar, a former Colorado senator and state attorney... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hidden Handgun Owner, 'Fake Cop' Pulled Glock in Florida Road Rage
WPEC-TV News (Florida)
6 March 2009
A police officer may flash his badge and tell you to slow down, but he's not going to try and run you over with his vehicle. Police say John T. Colucci did just that, after a driver cut him off on his motorcycle. Colucci is accused of flashing a security badge and loaded glock 30 at the driver and telling him he was a cop. A witness called 911 to report Colucci's behavior, and police say Colucci then chased down the witness.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Every Year, Utah Legislature Entertains 'Guns at Work' Nonsense Bill
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), Editorial
6 March 2009
When most Utahns hear "America Online," they think "Internet service provider." But gun-rights activists think "Second Amendment." That's because of what happened at an AOL call center in Ogden in 2000. Three employees met in a company parking lot after work to go target shooting. A security camera recorded two of them transferring their guns to the third worker's car. Four days later, AOL fired the three for violating the company's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Texas Lawmakers Consider Encouraging Hidden Handguns on Campus
Boston Herald / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
5 March 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jason Bowman would feel safer walking to his night classes at Tarrant County College if he had his concealed handgun. But he leaves it behind because state law doesn't let him carry it on campus. The 23-year-old Benbrook man is among those hoping that will change soon, as state lawmakers consider the issue. "I applaud campus police, but there is absolutely no way they can be all places at all times,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Panic Buying of 'Pre-ban' Guns, Ammo Merely 'A Blip' in US Gun Market
LewRockwell.com (USA), Web page
5 March 2009
Since Obama's victory in November, Smith and Wesson and Ruger, the only two publically traded US gun makers, have experienced major increases in their stock prices. Ammo manufacturers are running 24/7 attempting to keep up with demand. Military-pattern semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15's and AK-clones are expensive, stocked-out, or both. Are these price increases "gouging," as some would say, or are they a natural response... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Permits Should be Easier for US War Vets with Post-trauma Stress
Omaha World-Herald
5 March 2009
Sgt. Tim Mechaley trained fellow Marines to fire .50-caliber machine guns. He qualified as a marksman. He fought in the battle for Fallujah, Iraq, and received a combat medal with a "V" for valor. Back home, he uses a rifle for target shooting. Yet, when Mechaley sought to buy a 9-mm Ruger pistol for protection at his midtown apartment, the Omaha Police Department rejected his application for a gun permit. "I was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Hidden Handgun Laws 'Create Danger, Not the Safety They Seek'
Tennessean (Nashville), Editorial
4 March 2009
The simple fact that some lawmakers think it's fine for people to legally carry guns into restaurants that serve alcohol shows the lack of thinking behind a list of gun bills making their way through the legislature. A provision that says people with permits may carry guns into restaurants where booze is available, as long as they're not drinking, invites deadly situations. Legislators have already talked in detail about some of... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Mumbai Attack Fuels Demand for Gun-toting Private Security Guards in India
New York Times
3 March 2009
NEW DELHI -- In much of India, the first line of defense against crime stands just over five and a half feet tall, earns less than $100 a month and is armed with little more than a shiny belt buckle. Security guards have long been a sleepy presence here, but a string of fatal attacks, culminating in the siege of three Mumbai hotels by terrorists last November, have created a demand for new and better trained guards, state-of-the-art... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
More Bad Laws to Encourage Easy Access, Use of Guns in Tennessee
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee), Editorial
3 March 2009
Tennessee is not yet the worst state for lax gun laws, but it's not for lack of trying. Like more than a dozen other states bunched at the bottom of the heap with laws that encourage easy access and use of guns, our state Legislature keeps pushing the envelope for new ways to loosen our already stretched gun laws. Legislators are now sponsoring a collection of three bills that would allow people with permits to carry concealed guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Late Bush Push for Hidden Handguns in US Parks 'Loaded with Danger'
Los Angeles Times, Editorial
3 March 2009
Absolutely no good can come from a late-term Bush administration rule change allowing concealed weapons in national parks, a move that endangers the lives of park employees and visitors, encourages poaching and will probably worsen damage to archaeological treasures. The only justification we can imagine for this politically motivated breach of the public trust is that if campers are as careless with their guns as they are with their picnic... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee Gun Owners Fight to Conceal List of Hidden Handgun Holders
Associated Press
2 March 2009
NASHVILLE -- A Memphis newspaper has posted a searchable database of Tennesseans with permits to carry concealed handguns, upsetting firearm owners and igniting a debate on whether such information should be publicly available. Gun owners say the database is an invasion of privacy and makes permit holders easy targets for burglaries. They have flooded the newspaper with complaints -- some 600 e-mail messages a day -- and threatened... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Showdown in Illinois as Gun Lobby Pushes to Encourage Hidden Handguns
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
2 March 2009
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- Springfield is headed toward a political showdown over guns, with both sides loading up like they haven't in years. The gun owners lobby is close to getting a floor debate in the Legislature on its pinnacle goal of allowing residents to carry concealed handguns in Illinois, which is one of just two states that still outlaw it. (Wisconsin is the other.) "It's heating up. We think we're close," said... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear Drives 100% Surge in Floridians Allowed to Carry Hidden Handguns
St Petersburg Times (Florida)
2 March 2009
More of your neighbors are packing heat. Whether it's fear of crime, fallout from a bad economy or concerns about the new administration, the number of people applying for a concealed weapons permit has jumped. For the year ending June 30, 2008, about 84,000 people applied for new permits in Florida. In 2005, that number was about 42,000 people. Here's a look at what obtaining a concealed weapons permit entails and who is getting them: ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
NRA, Utah Gun Lobby Squabble Over Curbs on Hidden Handgun Permits
Associated Press
1 March 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- A state lawmaker's bill to eliminate out-of-state instructors from Utah's concealed-carry permit process has triggered a fight between the National Rifle Association and the state gun lobby. Accepted in 33 states, Utah's concealed-carry permit is considered the platinum card of permits. But problems with out-of-state instructors raised some concerns, including whether instructors were rubber stamping applications... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns and Universities Don't Mix: Texas Lawmakers Tout Guns in Schools
Dallas Morning News (Texas), Editorial
27 February 2009
State Rep. Joe Driver and Sen. Jeff Wentworth once again are pushing their gun agenda around the state Capitol, and it is time, once again, for them to be firmly rebuffed. They're introducing legislation to abolish the "gun-free" status of Texas universities so that students and professors can arm themselves on campus. Like most Americans, the Garland representative and San Antonio senator were outraged by the massacres at Virginia... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arkansas Senate Shoots Down Gun Lobby Push to Allow Guns in Church
Democrat-Gazette (Arkansas)
26 February 2009
A proposal to allow concealed-handgun permit holders to take their weapons into church failed in an Arkansas Senate committee Wednesday after questions emerged about the burden placed on churches that don't want to allow guns. Afterward, Rep. Beverly Pyle, R-Cedarville, promised to continue the push for her House Bill 1237. The legislation passed in the House earlier this month. For more than an hour, discussion lingered... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Fights for Illinois as 49th US State to Encourage Hidden Handguns
State Journal-Register (Illinois)
25 February 2009
Every year in the General Assembly, the debate over gun control returns to the legislature, as sure a sign of spring as robins searching for food on the Capitol grounds. This year is no exception, with well more than a dozen bills introduced already dealing with various gun issues. A couple of proposals would prohibit local communities from enacting bans on guns. Another would let authorities revoke an adult's FOID card if a minor... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Elderly American Fined $2,500 for Driving Into Canada with Loaded Handgun
Sault Star (Ontario)
24 February 2009
SAULT SAINTE MARIE, Ontario -- An elderly Colorado man was fined $2,500 Monday for attempting to enter Canada with a loaded revolver under the driver's seat of his motor home. George Edwards, who wasn't in the Sault Ste. Marie courtroom, pleaded guilty through a lawyer to a Customs Act offence. The court heard the 74-year-old retiree, accompanied by his wife, was stopped at Canada Customs at the International Bridge on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Church Body Suggests 'Everybody Should Buy His Own Gun' in Nigeria
This Day (Lagos)
24 February 2009
ABUJA -- Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday disclosed that it was considering sending a bill that would allow every adult to carry arms as a way of checking unwarranted attacks to the National Assembly. The body also took a swipe at what it called the non-challant attitude of President Umaru Musa Yar Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the violent crisis in some parts of the North, asking them to resign if... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Grand Jury: 'Let Sheriff Do Her Job' Revoking Hidden Handguns
Orange County Register (California)
23 February 2009
The Orange County grand jury has a message for county supervisors, gun rights advocates and everyone else who disagrees with Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' plan to reduce concealed weapons permits: "Let the sheriff do her job." That's the title of the grand jury report to be released today, according to a confidential copy obtained by The Orange County Register. Hutchens has spent months arguing with local lawmakers and gun advocates... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fear, Hysteria Fuel Sales of Guns, Ammo for Assault Weapons in Florida
Sun-Sentinel (Florida), Editorial
22 February 2009
It is time for many South Floridians to get a grip. Not on their weapons, but on their senses. First, there was the big run on guns, both locally and nationally, when it was feared the Obama administration would quickly enact tougher gun legislation that would make it difficult to own guns. Didn't happen. And doesn't figure to happen, particularly since the Supreme Court has reinforced the right of an individual to bear... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign Grows to Hide US Hidden Handgun Owners' Names from Public
Associated Press
21 February 2009
SALEM, Oregon -- Sheriffs around Oregon have been sending an unusual letter to holders of concealed weapons permits with this message: If you don't want the public to know you've got a permit, we'll try to help you out. The letter from the sheriffs says newspapers and others are trying to get lists of people who have concealed handgun permits, sparking a legal challenge that's pending in the Oregon Court of Appeals. And... ( gunpolicy.org )
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